Trader Sam's stories...

[arcadiandj]

Greetings most lovely Disers! So while I have been a Disneyland fan for quite some time, this was the first year I learned of Trader Sam's-and it was love at first visit! I was amazed by how immersive it is, the quality of the décor, the food/snacks, and of course the drinks. I have been blown away, and have subsequently become a fan of tiki and tiki drinks-very fun to say the least!

The reason for my post: My wife and I have a pattern with how we enjoy Trader Sam's. We avoid the crowds and head over right before it opens-for an early lunch. While I'm not complaining about our current experience, I'm curious if others have a different strategy? Do you brave the crowds, sit outside, and enjoy the music? Or do you have a different strategy?

Also, do you have any special Trader Sam's memories? My wife and I have simply loved the ambiance, the décor, all of the tasty drinks and snacks, and we really like Bernado-one of the bartenders who has not only helped us to have a great time by taking care of us while we are there, but he has helped us to learn about tiki drinks by educating us about rum and the other various ingredients.

Ok, enough for now. TIA.

 

[cruisehopeful]

We like it a lot because it reminds us of being in Hawaii. We always sit outdoors and have been there for both daytime and nighttime. Night is great because of the tiki torches and the authentic Hawaiian music. We feel exactly as we feel when we are sitting at an outdoor bar/restaurant in Hawaii. It's great. It's still great during the day, but tends to feel more Disney and less Hawaiian.

Hawaii is probably our favorite vacation and going to Trader Sam's saves us thousands of dollars. We have gone there without going to any of the parks. BTW, last week I bought the Trader Sam's button down shirts in the gift shop at the Disneyland Hotel. They had the button downs and some Tshirts.

 

[StormyCA]

Favorite memory was sitting at the bar during our first visit. I sat on one of the 'special' bar stools. I'm a bit of a lightweight and their pours were strong. I thought I was losing my mind.

 

[Jaminpower10]

One of my best memories happened on our trip that ended yesterday. Was talking to a cast member about our plans for our trip on our first day in DL and she was giving us some pointers and some of her "must do's" for myself and the 3 first timers with me. After around 5 minutes of talking she ran off and came back with some fast passes for us the following day for Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours to make sure we got to ride them! Little things like that can help make the Disney trip that much more magical!

 

[crystal1313]

We love Trader Sam's as well! The "special" stools are hilarious and my friends thought they were going insane, LOL! That is a great memory!! We love both the inside and outside. We live in NorCal and have thought about making a trip just to go to Trader Sam's and not the parks. We love it! We have had to wait in line before to go inside, but it was worth it. We were with friends who are locals and frequent Trader Sam's and that was a blast! =)

 

[skylynx]

We do the east and west coast Trader Sam's and, while at Disneyland, zip off property to Don the Beachcomber's in Huntington Beach for some even more authentic tiki experiences. One of the best things for us at TS's is to check out the "artifacts" on the walls and read the letters and postcards that connect back to characters from our beloved, now sadly defunct Adventurer's Club on what used to be WDW's Pleasure Island complex. There are cards that refer to Jungle Cruise skippers, Indiana Jones, and Adventurer's Club characters. These cross-references are also present at Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar in Disney Springs and Magic Kingdom's Skipper's Canteen. TS's in Disneyland also has the glass jug on a shelf where the characters from "Up" saved their money for a trip to Paradise Falls. This is theming at its best for us.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Favorite memory was sitting at the bar during our first visit. I sat on one of the 'special' bar stools.

We love Trader Sam's as well! The "special" stools are hilarious and my friends thought they were going insane, LOL!

What is special about the special stools? Do they move/talk? Should I put my husband and daughter on some on our next visit?

 

[crystal1313]

I pm'd you @cruisehopeful

 

[cruisehopeful]

I pm'd you @cruisehopeful

Thanks! I will keep the information in my vault.

 

[darcie2000]

I love Trader Sams! The cocktails and food are so good The last time we visited, my sister and I took our mum with us. She thought it was awesome ( although she did turn and say " I didn't realise you girls drank so much! ). Errrrm we are on holidays mum!

 

[arcadiandj]

OMG!!!!!!! I'm sure we could all be friends if we ever ran in to each other there! Thank you for your wonderful responses!

 

[arcadiandj]

We like it a lot because it reminds us of being in Hawaii. We always sit outdoors and have been there for both daytime and nighttime. Night is great because of the tiki torches and the authentic Hawaiian music. We feel exactly as we feel when we are sitting at an outdoor bar/restaurant in Hawaii. It's great. It's still great during the day, but tends to feel more Disney and less Hawaiian.

Hawaii is probably our favorite vacation and going to Trader Sam's saves us thousands of dollars. We have gone there without going to any of the parks. BTW, last week I bought the Trader Sam's button down shirts in the gift shop at the Disneyland Hotel. They had the button downs and some Tshirts.

We have to go to Hawaii! I would probably go cross eyed with pleasure! FWIW, now I am curious about sitting outside!

 

[arcadiandj]

Favorite memory was sitting at the bar during our first visit. I sat on one of the 'special' bar stools. I'm a bit of a lightweight and their pours were strong. I thought I was losing my mind.

My wife ended up on one of those stools on our first visit! It was so funny-she looking up at me so pitifully The bar tender told us it was the shortest ride in all of Disneyland!

 

[arcadiandj]

We do the east and west coast Trader Sam's and, while at Disneyland, zip off property to Don the Beachcomber's in Huntington Beach for some even more authentic tiki experiences. One of the best things for us at TS's is to check out the "artifacts" on the walls and read the letters and postcards that connect back to characters from our beloved, now sadly defunct Adventurer's Club on what used to be WDW's Pleasure Island complex. There are cards that refer to Jungle Cruise skippers, Indiana Jones, and Adventurer's Club characters. These cross-references are also present at Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar in Disney Springs and Magic Kingdom's Skipper's Canteen. TS's in Disneyland also has the glass jug on a shelf where the characters from "Up" saved their money for a trip to Paradise Falls. This is theming at its best for us.

My wife and I are going to Don the Beachcomber's on our next visit! What is it like there/what do you recommend we do while there? Feel free to message me if you think other TS folks would not be interested. BTW, I will be taking an extra close look at the postcards and letters (we will be going to WDW next year).

 

[skylynx]

My wife and I are going to Don the Beachcomber's on our next visit! What is it like there/what do you recommend we do while there? Feel free to message me if you think other TS folks would not be interested. BTW, I will be taking an extra close look at the postcards and letters (we will be going to WDW next year).

Aw, I think anyone who likes Trader Sam's would find Don's interesting. Don's by the water in Huntington Beach is made up of a couple of dining rooms, one kitschier and filled with more fake tropical blooms and waterfalls than another, and then there's the Dagger Bar. This is your classic, dark, tiki bar that is usually only open after 4 unless there's some event taking up one or more of the dining rooms. The food is good in there (if you can see the menu-it's that dark), the servers delightful and the drinks legendary. Try the Zombie...they won't sell you more than two. You can get a couple cool souvenir tiki mugs there made by Tiki Farm, including a disturbing one of Don the Beachcomber's Panama-hat sporting head.

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons they sometimes do impromptu karaoke in the Dagger Bar, where local old men tend to wander in off the street, sing a Frank Sinatra song, and leave. It's hilarious. Go to their website and check out what events are on the day you want to go..we went once on Reggae Sunday and it was kind of a disappointment because we wanted to hear Martin Denny tunes from the 40's and 50's, not reggae. Since Donn Beach (he actually changed his name to that) was one of the original guys credited with launching the whole post-WWII tiki craze-and the disputed invention of the Mai Tai with Trader Vic, there's some nice history associated with him. PM me if you want more info...it's a fabulous diversion from Disneyland's crowds. We've got a trip planned to Hawaii in December and the place we are staying two nights in Kona on the Big Island (Royal Kona) has a Don the Beachcomber's waterfront bar actually in it-so we plan to park ourselves there for the sunset with Mai Tais since our room will be only a short stagger away!

 

[n2theluz]

My brother and I went during our trip in early March. We just waiting until DL Forever ended and just started booking it towards the exit/esplanade. Not running, but being agile and nimble. We always made it to Trader Sam's with room at the bar.

We absolutely loved that place. Everything from the drinks, ambiance, effects.. but what really makes that place special is the cast members. We got to know Christian and Melissa and they ruled. They really pumped that place up. The best thing to do is go with whatever they are doing. Spraying water? Act like its lava. Ringing the bell? Act like a volcano is erupting. Christian would spray and there would be ZERO response by people in the bar. We acted over the top and he loved it. The second night we went back and instantly remembered us. They'd spray and he'd yell out "oh, its lava, its burning...don't be too excited people" then glance at us.. "Not you two, you guys are alright."

Then an extremely drunk gentleman was trying to talk to a woman while sitting on "special barstool" without realizing (even though everyone else could see what was occurring). Christian came out and just started laughing at him ridiculously over the top.

I hope he's there when my wife and I return in October. I need and Uh Oa glass and a Hippopotamai-tai to round out my collection. Anyone know if they are doing the Mai-Tai glasses yet? When we were there, they had all been recalled...

 

[arcadiandj]

My brother and I went during our trip in early March. We just waiting until DL Forever ended and just started booking it towards the exit/esplanade. Not running, but being agile and nimble. We always made it to Trader Sam's with room at the bar.

We absolutely loved that place. Everything from the drinks, ambiance, effects.. but what really makes that place special is the cast members. We got to know Christian and Melissa and they ruled. They really pumped that place up. The best thing to do is go with whatever they are doing. Spraying water? Act like its lava. Ringing the bell? Act like a volcano is erupting. Christian would spray and there would be ZERO response by people in the bar. We acted over the top and he loved it. The second night we went back and instantly remembered us. They'd spray and he'd yell out "oh, its lava, its burning...don't be too excited people" then glance at us.. "Not you two, you guys are alright."

Then an extremely drunk gentleman was trying to talk to a woman while sitting on "special barstool" without realizing (even though everyone else could see what was occurring). Christian came out and just started laughing at him ridiculously over the top.

I hope he's there when my wife and I return in October. I need and Uh Oa glass and a Hippopotamai-tai to round out my collection. Anyone know if they are doing the Mai-Tai glasses yet? When we were there, they had all been recalled...

We were there at the beginning of the month and no Mai-Tai glasses But we are keeping our eyes open-that is the last one we need for our collection! Have you tried making any of the drinks yet? Bernardo gave us book and rum references and we've been able to make the drinks at home. Very fun!

 

[n2theluz]

We were there at the beginning of the month and no Mai-Tai glasses But we are keeping our eyes open-that is the last one we need for our collection! Have you tried making any of the drinks yet? Bernardo gave us book and rum references and we've been able to make the drinks at home. Very fun!

No we haven't! Please enlighten me!

My brother and I are working on building a "Trader Jon's" in his basement. So far we have the lightning effect figured out and how to run it but are still researching the proper way to pull off the stool effect.

 

[GeneralTso]

Trader Sams is a gas! I was in the infamous sinking seat my first time. What a memory!
We really like the tiki drinks and food. It gets so ridiculously crowded though. Last week, the line went out the door and down the stairs! I had never seen it like that. It was at least an hour wait--maybe more.

If you find a spot inside, just relax and enjoy the show. The bartenders are fantastic, like its own little show. It's not cheap so don't expect bargain pricing.

 

[arcadiandj]

No we haven't! Please enlighten me!

My brother and I are working on building a "Trader Jon's" in his basement. So far we have the lightning effect figured out and how to run it but are still researching the proper way to pull off the stool effect.

This is where I've found the best Trader Sam's recipes:

http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewforum.php?forum=10&39114

Their Uh Oa and Krakatoa punch recipes have been the best! Yum! With some effort, you can enjoy them at home. I am still working on the Zombie, which I've only had variable success with.

Beach Bum Berry Remixed is the reference Bernardo gave us for a book-and it has been a LOT of fun exploring:

http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Bum-Berry-Remixed-Jeff/dp/1593621396

For Tiki drinks, you are going to want to get to know rum. Check out this podcast. This guy will not only teach you TONS about rum, but also making cocktails:

http://5minutesofrum.com/

Be warned, Tiki drinks are a lot of work (although there are simple recipes that can give you a good taste of Tiki-the Dark and Stormy: 2 ounces Goslings dark rum, 4 ounces of good ginger beer-no ginger ale! And a lime wedge-very tasty!). The good news is that rum tends to be a lot less expensive than other spirits. Let me know if you want to learn more and I will steer you in the right directions!